India currently accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the world's semiconductor design workforce, IT Secretary S. Krishnan said on Saturday, 19 September 2026, at the sidelines of SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi. The government has also launched an ongoing programme to train approximately 85,000 design engineers, signalling a strong policy push to deepen the country's position in the global chip ecosystem.

India's Semiconductor Design Edge

Speaking at the event, Krishnan noted that India's chip design talent base is already substantial. 'In the chip design domain, a massive talent pool is already skilled,' he said. The government's strategy spans all dimensions of skill development, with particular emphasis on semiconductor manufacturing as the next frontier to conquer alongside design.

India's outsized share of global design engineers — nearly one in five worldwide — reflects decades of investment in engineering education and the organic growth of R&D centres by global chipmakers in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune. This latest government push seeks to formalise and scale that advantage.

Investment Scrutiny and Policy Stability

On the investment front, Krishnan struck a note of careful optimism. He said every proposal received at SEMICON India would be analysed thoroughly because significant public funds are at stake. 'Since public money is involved, we can commit incentives only after properly evaluating every proposal,' he said.

He added that confidence in India's talent pool, combined with the stability and predictability of policy support, is drawing a large number of domestic and multinational companies. 'Because of these reasons, a large number of companies and investors want to enter India and invest here. We will actively encourage them and work closely alongside them,' Krishnan said.

SEMICON India 2026: Record Footfall

Ashok Chandak, President of SEMI India-IESA, reported strong visitor numbers: 12,000 on day one and 16,000 on day two, with momentum continuing. Notably, a large proportion of day-one visitors were students, which Chandak described as a clear indicator of growing awareness and ambition within the early-career engineering community.

'This clearly indicates a strong desire to gain knowledge and understanding about the semiconductor sector in the student community,' Chandak said.

Strong Asian Participation

The event also drew significant international attention, particularly from Asia. Countries including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia were represented, with additional visitors from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Chandak said this reflects a genuine interest among regional players to collaborate with Indian counterparts — a development that aligns with India's ambition to become a central node in the global semiconductor supply chain.

As the India Semiconductor Mission gathers pace, the combination of a large existing design talent base, government incentives under active evaluation, and rising international interest positions SEMICON India 2026 as a pivotal moment in the country's chip ambitions.